Published

“The Book Thief” Trailer

Ushered in by a few chords of haunting music and the steady chug of an oncoming train, the first trailer for The Book Thief is utterly mesmerizing — as long as you can ignore the most jarring voice-over narration of 2013.

(Wait for it at 1:31… A voice that should stick to car commercials delivers bland sound bytes like “words will inspire her” and “courage will guide her.” Gee, how original.)

Our protagonist is the young Liesel Meminger, a foster child living in Molching, Germany during the late 1930s. She copes with her new surroundings by stealing books and befriending the Jewish fist-fighter secretly tucked away in her foster parent’s home.

Of course, tales of precocious wonder set in Nazi Germany have a disturbing — but not surprising habit — of turning grim fast. Soon the fragile life Liesel has built for herself, propped up by stolen books and whispered words, falls victim to the tide of war sweeping through the rest of the continent.

The Book Thief is adapted from Markus Zusak’s awarding novel of the same name. Longtime fans may wonder why Death, the book’s narrator (no, seriously), is so noticeably absent from the trailer, but Zusak has confirmed that the Grim Reaper will indeed be present in the actual film.

Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Sophie Nielisse star in The Book Thief. It is currently slated for a November 15, 2013 release date — i.e. in time for awards’ season!